It's a clean business, but somebody's gotta do it.
Digital recording technology is making inroads into the filmmaking industry. But it's had to buck some unexpected criticism from analog film traditionalists. They say digital "film" looks too good.
The arguments among filmmakers, programmers, and producers are reminiscent of the days when the compact disc digitized audio recording and playback.
When photography director Steve Kotton tried to introduce all-digital productions to the TV industry, he said, "Broadcasters said it was too sharp -- they were used to a much dirtier image. We put in grain and noise to smooth the image in certain areas."
Kotton was among the directors and producers participating in a discussion Saturday on digital cinematography at Cinequest, San Jose, California's annual film festival. The panel was part of Cinequest's film and technology showcase, designed to introduce festival-goers to digital's steady, if bumpy, advance into the motion picture industry.
"Three or four years ago [a panel like this] wouldn't be allowed into a film festival," said moderator Laurence Thorpe. The industry -- nearly a century old -- still relies almost exclusively on analog film for recording, editing, and projection.
Thorpe, vice president of acquisitions systems at Sony, was also on hand to tout his company's advances in digital camera technology.
